War On Terror: Only When It affects Us

Is it any wonder the hotbed of anti-western feeling in the Islamic world is resulting in more and more terrorism? When time and again mainly America, but also other western countries display a willingness to go further than, or create new laws when it comes to attacking and/or occupying oil bearing countries. Ejecting Muslim clerics alleged to have incited or glorified terrorism, or imprisoning alleged terrorists for years without charge. And (in the sham War on Terror) invading the countries where they helped Islamic terror to flourish when the terrorists aims no longer coincide with U.S oil interests

By Liam Bailey

When the U.N deployed troops in Saudi Arabia, to combat Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in early August 1990, there was already strong anti-American feeling in the Islamic world from past support of Israel and using
Afghanistan’s Muhajideen to achieve their aim of defeating the communist soviet invasion. When the occupation became a permanent U.S force after the
Kuwait war, anti-American feeling continued to grow in the Islamic world. 1996 brought the return of Osama Bin Laden to Afghanistan, an ex C.I.A/Saudi intelligence propaganda and funding officer, so an expert in stirring Muslim’s up to fight holy (Jihad) wars, and particularly outraged at the continued occupation of his homeland Saudi Arabia. He released two religious rulings, one in 96 called for the murder of the American’s occupying the land of the holy places, in reference to Saudi Arabia and the Muslim shrines at Mecca and
Medina. The second Fatwah, released with the leaders of four other major Muslim extremist groups, called for the murder of American’s and their allies anywhere in the world, effectively Islam declaring war on the west.

Despite these unintended consequences, nothing was done by the U.S or in fact anyone else to stem mistreatment of Muslim’s, which, paranoia or not was causing real problems. Islamic (Jihad) terrorists, Reagan’s freedom fighters were biting the hand that once fed them. From small beginnings, Islamic terror has grown into a massive world problem, the turning point on the date I am sure we will remember for life, 9/11/2001, when the world’s worst terrorist attack happened on American soil. Instead then of trying to stem the flow of anti-American feeling by treating, in general non-violent Muslims with respect and decency, and/or actually trying to deal with Islamic terrorism and the people responsible, America announced it’s invasion of Afghanistan. A third world and one of the poorest Muslim countries, attacked with the full might of the world’s largest army’s, supported by Britain and the second largest but arguably the best military in the world, which caused further outrage even among liberal Muslims.

The main arm of the Bush doctrine, “regime change” achieved theoretically when the Taliban flew
Kabul after only weeks of fighting. As part of the larger doctrine, the war on terror, Bush would have done better politely asking Islamic extremists to stop terrorism, as worldwide Islamic extremist terror continued in its alarming growth. Even in Afghanistan the problem was only stored, some Taliban were sheltered by Pakistan the U.S administrations new best friend, but they largely fled to the mountains and foothills on the Pakistan border, where they had soon regrouped and began waging their holy insurgent warfare on U.K/U.S troops, which is still on-going. The invasion of Afghanistan did more harm than good, creating further anti-American feeling in the Islamic world at the same time giving the terrorists’ excellent (internet) propaganda machine plenty of (collateral damage) material, therefore increasing the number of angry Muslim recruits from around the world, coming into Afghanistan, now a massive training/exercise ground.

When the war on terror shifted to
Iraq less than three years later it gave the Muslim’s yet more material for their ever-growing propaganda/recruitment network, as well as another mark of Muslim resistance and cause of further outrage, as well as another massive training ground for their largely young recruits. Another mistake not learned from in Afghanistan, was the lack of post-war planning for the effective rebuilding of the countries, both of which had been ripped apart by years of largely civil war, but also against the soviets in Afghanistan, and in Iraq’s case against
Iran. In addition, both Afghanistan’s rebels and Saddam Hussein received major assistance from the U.S and
Iraq by other western countries. Therefore, after five years of the “war on terror” which mainly supported by the U.S and UK governments has done or spent nothing to combat the many terrorist cells across Europe, in places like
Algeria and elsewhere. Instead invading two third world, war torn Muslim countries, rich either with oil, or their stability a necessity (pipelines) for the security of U.S oil supplies, both conflicts still looking no closer to being over. It must look to Muslim’s like Bush is trying to eradicate the extremist element of the Islamic faith, one country where it exists at a time, starting with two of the places where
America had previously encouraged terrorism.

In March, not long after the UK government announced plans for new terror laws and the intention to eject anyone glorifying terrorism, international arrest warrants were issued for two Rwandan war criminals residing in Britain, both mayors alleged to have incited Hutu’s in their provinces to kill Tutsi’s as part of the country’s mass genocide. Three months on neither has even been visited by police. The government says, "The warrants are invalid because the UK has no extradition treaty with
Rwanda; therefore the police have no obligation to visit the alleged war criminals."

In closing, American foreign policy since the 80’s, including support for Israel in their theft (in Muslims eyes) of Muslim land, and support of Muslims in Afghanistan and (covertly) other places, which later became evident as the selfish use of Muslim fighters to achieve their own aim, defeating the soviet union and world communism. Then came U.N and U.S (western world) use of Muslim land, occupying Saudi Arabia to fight the first gulf war, then the U.S/U.K invasions and occupation of Afghanistan and, joined by other western countries, Iraq, to Muslim’s all this displayed a total disregard for Muslim people, Muslim land and the Muslim faith. So, add U.K/U.S and most of the western world’s total oil-biased disregard for Muslims, to the
UK’s discrimination in jailing and/or ejecting Muslim clerics accused of inciting terrorism, but doing nothing about African mayors accused of much the same thing and ask yourself:

Can we really blame the Islamic world for the high levels of anti-western feeling, which largely results in terrorism? If not, aren’t our governments are as much to blame for the massive problem of Islamic terror, as the extremists who carry it out.

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1 Comment

Robyn said,

War is hard on everyone. It ruins soldiers mentally and physically, and it ruins the general population. Our loved ones that die or get injuried. We effect or feel when its getting worse. We feel it. We know it. Why won’t we help it?

Liam Bailey’s port-folio

My name is Liam Bailey and I am a freelance journalist from the UK. My port-folio follows, with links to all my articles published on-line. All my published and un-published articles can be read on this blog and my Better World blog

Some of the articles above were also published by OhmyNews International who have published 18 world affairs op-ed and analysis articles of mine on the front page. All of which can be read –among other things-- from my article list.

The Washington Post’s Post Global blog editor has just made me part of the team as an advanced blogger. The first question I responded to was: If U.S dominance is over in the Middle East as some analysts say, what will replace it?

My response, the article: U.S: End of Middle East Domination-What Domination? was published on Global Post and has also been published by:

Previously I had six features on ethical and sustainable issues and a monthly news round-up accepted for publication by Lifescape Magazine

You can read my published Lifescape features and other ethically orientated articles including the above mentioned UNICEF piece at Better World

I also write fiction:

After my first year I had my first poem published followed by another 11 and threeshort stories since. Including my last Short-Story which I wrote on the request of Sageof Consciousness to appear as the featured Short Story Writer.

Currently necessity dictates that I work full time in a supermarket, but my heart is in my writing. You can commission articles. One off cover-letters for employers, which I am excellent at. Sales pitch for company brochures or a personalised poem for advertising campaigns or greeting cards. Anything you need written, I will write it well.